SALLY (Mills) Svensson has lived her own advice: “Believe in yourself and keep focused. Success is not in reaching your desti- nation, but in manag- ing the journey.” She has had her share of life’s ups and downs, includ- ing the shocking reality of breast cancer, but Sally came through the ordeal and became an even more deter- mined health-and-fitness- prone individual then she already was. Her love for nature and outdoor activities found her hiking, skiing, and cycling in spectacular and interesting places throughout the world. Sally was born on Jan. ‘30, 1935, in Toronto. She and her one sibling, a broth- er, hada happy childhood ‘living in the fruit belt — the Grimbsy area of the Niagara peninsula. She loved the outdoors and nature, and during her late teens taught ‘* swimming lessons for the Red Cross. - Educated in Toronto she received a scholarship in” 1954, and in 1958 graduat- ~ ed from the University of Toronto with a degree in pharmacy, and was present- ed with a gold medal for the . Highest Honours in. ~ ‘Pharmacy.’ ~. “.. After graduating i in 1958, 7 Sally spent that summer on a three-month youth hostelling trip in Europe. __ Returning home, she .. Worked for atime in the... North Western Hospital in - Toronto. Then the winter of 1959-"60 she spent skiing in ” Austria. However, fun times _do come to an end so it was ..back home'and work again ~ for Sally, this time at the - Toronto Hospital for Sick Children... * Sally’s urge to travel was “strong and so from January 1961 to August 1962 she and a friend enjoyed an 18- - month trip around the world. It was on this trip, - while in E er future usband, from © .-Edmonton. Sally was from »Toronto, but when in gypt, Edmonton and Toronto seem like next-door neighbours. = Arriving in Vancouver in «September of 1963, Sally found work at St. Paul’s Hospital. ‘That year she elso ~ won a first-place trophy in ., ‘the Mt. “Washington . Marathon. *. “She married in March: 1964 while she was working ... at the Royal Columbian : Hospital. ‘Her daughter was - ~ born in March of the fol-- lowing year and Sally decid- “ed to remain at home for “the next few years to care ‘for her. Sally adopted two “boys in 1968 and 1970 and “now has two grandchildren. - Returning to the work- force i in 1969 as a part-time 1, that she met" pharmacist with Eaton's, Sally switched benween the department store's Brentwood and Pacific Centre branches. In 1983, Sally changed workplaces to the Holy Family Rehab and Extended Care Hospital, working part time as a pharmacist. Sally knows first hand what breast cancer is all about, having undergone surgery in 1994, She was off work for six months, return- ing on an “on call” basis with the Holy Family Hospital until she retired in 1996. : She is a member of Abreast in a Boat, a dragon boat team composed of can- cer survivors, and was a _ Steers person in the breast- cancer canoe for the 1998 season. All members in that canoe had breast cancer surgery at one time or. another. Once retired, Sally’s longtime love affair with the outdoors continued and she bought a bicycle and started riding. In 1996, Sally and a friend enjoyed a two-week trip cycling around Ireland. She joined the Cross ~ Canada Cycle Tour Society, and cycled with them on several trips: to Denmark and Sweden; to Arizona; a five-week trip to New Zealand (the South Island). Also, a three-week trip to Lake Ontario and back to ‘Ottawa; a two-week tri B.C.’s Okanagan and the Kootenays, and a two-week trip to the North Gulf Islands. This year, she joined a group of 30 cyclists on a Sea-to-Sea 2000 trip from “ the Pacific coast to the Atlantic. Ages of the cyclists : ranged from early 50s to 74. They. started trom Victoria on May 24 and arrived at Halifax on Aug. 30. A truck accompanied them carrving their sleeping, eating and cooking tents, and their clothes. Each member was allowed three bags of luggage. They took turns in teams of three to cook and clean up. Sally says: “The trip pre- sented personal challenges, and a good opportunity to interact and cooperate with other people and to help each other.” They usually cycled in groups, stopping for coffee breaks and lunch in scenic places. They cycled an aver- age of 100 kilometres per day, eating something every two hours, and stopping at campgrounds for the night. After a day's cycling, they would have a shower than enjoy a happy hour while the cooks prepared the evening meal. Ie rained a lot during the trip. Now home again, Sally keeps busy doing all sorts of things, including playing snooker at Silver Harbour Centre, and continues to participate in the North Shore Hikers Club, and the Vancouver Skiers Cross ‘Country & Touring Club. This year she is the events manager for the Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society and is busy organiz- ing their upcoming annual See Living page 28 Caring you can count on. Our complete family support service can provide any level or range of care for your loved onc... ; Personal support, homemaking or nursing services. | Eewecare Home Health Services 214 - 145 West 15th St., North Vancouver Where peace of mind bas a bome address” g the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. A special feature every Wednesday in the News Pik ag Steph Phatmacist Selenium is a mineral | much touted for it’s “anti- cancer” effect. It's found § | naturally in grains, nuts, chicken, meats and H seafood. Although there is ) some evidence of its cell- | protective effect, too much. | can damage cells. 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